Cold weather preparations, Spectrum restoration, & U.S. Army Corps of Engineers updates

Press release from Buncombe County:

Last night, water flowed in Downtown Asheville, which is significant progress, and a direct result of the hard, long hours water crews have been working.

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will meet virtually today at 5 p.m. The meeting can be viewed live on the Buncombe County Facebook page. With current dry conditions, officials urge people to follow safe fire practices including keeping burn piles small under 6 feet, staying away at least 15 feet from structures and wooded areas, and having a way to extinguish the fire nearby, such as water, a shovel, or an extinguisher.

FEMA representatives are at various locations today, including Black Mountain Ingles, 550 NC-9; Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza; Weaverville Community Center; and A.C. Reynolds High School.

Community Care Stations
A new Community Care Station is now open at 980 Brevard Road (former Kmart, now an At Home store). These stations offer showers, laundry, bathrooms, Wi-Fi, water, hot food, and counseling. Other locations include Swannanoa Ingles, A.C. Reynolds High School, and Morgan Hill Baptist Church, 594 Barnardsville Highway. Hours are 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Early Voting
Early voting starts Thursday running daily through November 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Need a voter ID? Visit the Elections Office at 59 Woodfin Place. Early voting locations include:

• Black Mountain Library, 105 N. Dougherty St., Black Mountain
• East Asheville Library, 3 Avon Road, Asheville
• Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sand Hill Road, Candler
• Fairview Library, 1 Taylor Road, Fairview
• Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Highway., Leicester
• South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road, Asheville
• UNCA Health & Counseling Center, 118 W.T. Weaver Blvd., Asheville (new location)
• Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville
• Dr. Wesley Grant Southside Center, 285 Livingston St., Asheville (in lieu of Board of Elections location)
• West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road, Asheville

 

Cold Weather Preparations
Tomorrow, the area will experience extremely low temperatures. Our shelters have space and are available at:

• AB Tech Conference Center, 16 Fernihurst Drive
• Former Gold’s Gym, 1815 Hendersonville Road (kid-friendly)
• Medical Emergency Shelter, 10 Genevieve Circle
• WNC Ag Center, 1301 Fanning Bridge Road (allows pets)

Eblen Charities is providing gasoline vouchers, warm winter clothing and other essential items such as hygiene and cleaning supplies, menstrual products, diapers, etc. Eblen is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at 23 Hamilton St. in Asheville. They continue to help people with rent and mortgage assistance, medical needs, and other essential items.

Goodwill is accepting clothing donations and providing vouchers for those in need. Bounty & Soul is also accepting donations of warm clothing and blankets. Financial donations can be made to the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County at https://www.unitedwayabc.org/.

Spectrum Restoration
More than 236,000 North Carolina Spectrum customers lost service at the height of the storm. In North Carolina, Spectrum expects complete restoration to all locations that have power and are safe to access by Saturday, October 19. In Buncombe, 58% of Spectrum customers have seen their service restored, and 37,656 customers remain without power.

Duke Energy
In Buncombe County, 3,247 remain without power as of Tuesday morning. Crews continue to make progress this week in restoring power. An important reminder: when people see utility crews, please slow down and watch out for trucks and workers. Some homes may get power but then lose it. If this happens, it is recommended that they text OUT to 57801, report online, or call 800.POWERON (800.769.3766). Duke has a Western North Carolina Operation Center that facilitates ongoing collaboration with local government and Duke remains fully staffed.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Mission priorities in the region for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers include temporary power, debris, and infrastructure assessments. There are 250 members on the ground at all impacted areas. They have installed 16 generators, but due to power coming back, those are being phased out. Teams are also performing assessments for the scope of work for the removal of the estimated 10 million cubic yards of debris.

Post-Hurricane Helene, Corps permits are necessary for any work, including construction and dredging, in navigable waters. You do not need a permit from the Army Corps for debris, tree removal, sediment removal, certain bridge structures and cutting vegetations in streams, rivers, or wetlands. During storm events, if previously existing structures in waters/wetlands are damaged, those can typically be replaced and are exempt from Clean Water Act permitting. For more information, email NCPermit-Wetlands@usace.army.mil, call (828) 271-7980 or (252)740-5719, visit 151 Patton Ave., or visit their website.

FEMA 
Today, Tuesday Oct. 15, FEMA will be at several locations, these include:

• Black Mountain Ingles Parking lot, 550 NC-9
• Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza
• Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Drive
• Swannanoa Community Care Station at the Ingles Parking Lot
• AC Reynolds High School, 2299 US-70, Swannanoa

 

Health and Human Services 
The Buncombe County Health and Human Services Board has waived fees for vaccinations for flu, COVID, Tdap, and hepatitis A for adults.

Fees are also waived for Environmental Health for Food Service Plan reviews for existing facilities greater than 500 square feet and renovations and additions for facilities less than 500 square feet, all well permit fees, all self-collect water samples, and well water samples for a variety of chemicals. Residents who wish to test their well can pick up a test kit from the Buncombe County Permits Department at 30 Valley St., Asheville between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please disinfect your well prior to testing.

People impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply to receive a one-time benefit to help buy food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or D-SNAP. To apply, visit epass.nc.gov or call 1-844-453-1117.

Fraud and Scams 
The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office has a hotline to report scams including disaster repairs, price gouging, and fraud contractors. Call (877) 5-NO-SCAM toll-free within North Carolina or file a complaint online.

Important Tips:

• If a housing inspector claims to represent FEMA, ask them to show you their identification badge. Federal employees always wear an official government badge to identify themselves.
• Don’t trust someone who asks for money. Federal and local disaster workers do not solicit or accept money. FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) staff never charge applicants for disaster assistance, inspections, or help in filling out applications.
• Always work with licensed or verified contractors backed by reliable references, do not pay more than half the costs of repairs in advance, and demand that contractors detail the job to be done with guarantees in writing.

If you suspect fraud, call the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721.

Assistance Hotline for Farmers 
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services hotline is active. This hotline is to connect farmers with resources that can assist with damage and other agricultural emergencies related to the storm. The toll-free number is 1-866-645-9403. A live operator will be available on the hotline between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Solid Waste 
County debris collection is beginning today in the Swannanoa area. Multiple passes will be needed for debris cleanup, and this is the start of what will be a long process.

Wednesday, Oct.15: WastePro will run normal routes for household trash and recycling at accessible locations in Swannanoa.  WastePro will also have trucks located at Owen Pool at 117 Stone Drive in Swannanoa from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for residents who they can’t access on Wednesday only. Do not leave trash there if the trucks are not there.